This chapter describes the use of a genre-based approach to with Spanish heritage language learners (HLLs) as they wrote biographies. Drawing on systemic functional linguistics (SFL), a series of academic writing workshops were designed, centered on Latinx identity and the major contributions of Hispanics in the United States. Through the workshops, the HLLs were introduced to the genre of biography in such a way that empowered them to move from the familiar to the abstract in terms of the linguistic features of their writing. As the HLLs had developed their linguistic registers either at home or in informal settings, learning the biography of genre can not only improve the academic writing of HLLs but also provide a space for them to discuss their intersectional identities.